“Nobody on the road, Nobody on the beach, I feel it in the air… The summer’s out of reach.  Empty lake, empty streets, The sun goes down alone…”~Don Henley

Dear Universe,

Though summer is not officially over, the end of August always means one thing to me: Back to school, back to work.  Just as I was getting used to the life of sandals and swimsuits, it’s time to take out the boots and ‘brellas.

Usually this causes me a fair share of anxiety and even some sadness.  It always seems that summer goes by too fast so I am never really ready to release it.

I thought of this yesterday as I sat in a meeting for work—yes, I was paying attention!  But instead of being broken-hearted I decided to reflect on the highlights of the summer.  There were many.

Becoming an auntie again, traveling, reconnecting, relaxing, replenishing…

Then I thought of some of the highlights of the last year.  There were many more.

Moving out, moving on, writing, graduating, working, healing, learning, growing, transforming, jet-setting, restarting…

It certainly has been a year of lots of changes and I don’t always handle change well.  Some were a long time coming, while others were more unexpected.  But I learned that when things change in the blink of an eye, sometimes it feels like it’s for the worse, but sometimes it’s really for the better.

I’m choosing to focus on the better.

So many positive things have happened in these last months that I can’t really be sad about summer ending.

Instead, I just feel appreciative.

Thank you for a wonderful summer.  It helped make up for the last couple which were a different kind altogether.

I know the next few months are going to fly by and that 2013 will be here before I know it.  Here’s hoping this fall helps end the year on a high note.

With Gratitude,

A